brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons

First, I want to express my deepest appreciation to the readers who confirmed the value of my work and gave me plenty of reasons to continue writing and keep the site open. Many of those comments brought tears of joy to my eyes—and made a mess of my carefully applied mascara.

I identified three “fuck it” choices concerning the future, and while mulling over my options, I said to myself, “Hey! This is just like Let’s Make a Deal! Pick one and get the hell on with it!”

• Door #1 (continue with the 2026 plan): NOT CHOSEN. I have to admit that my plan WAS the problem. I did the Tragically Hip a disservice by reviewing their music at a faster pace than I had done with other artists whose names are on the menu bar. Those studies took several years to compile, allowing me to provide readers with something different each week. I will eventually review at least one of the Hip’s remaining albums to earn them a spot on the menu bar in honor of their massive contributions to Canadian music.
• Door # 2 (stop writing) NOT CHOSEN. I have selected twenty-one albums and series to review between now and my renewal date, most of which fill gaps in my exploration of popular music from 1920 to 2023 or conclude certain narratives. My selections also include some of the reader requests made earlier this year. Those reviews will be published on a bi-weekly basis until I resolve my employment conundrum.
• Door #3 (close the site): NOT CHOSEN. Thanks to my mother questioning my sanity and the many readers who expressed their desire to keep the site open for themselves and future generations, the altrockchick will remain on the web for as long as practically possible.

I guess by not choosing any of the doors, I am now the Let’s Make a Deal contestant from hell. I kinda like that.

I also made a few changes to the website:

• I have disabled the unreliable “Like” button on all posts because my readers convinced me it is not a valid statistic for determining how I’m doing. You can still like comments.
• After temporarily removing the requirement to log in before posting a comment, I restored it because the change turned previous contributors into invisible beings. The problem seems to involve a conflict between two WordPress plugins. Since my plan is a legacy plan that is no longer available to new bloggers, it’s not a priority for the folks in IT. I’m searching for workarounds.

Now, to my second Monty Hall Problem: choosing one of three options for earning a living.

• Door #1: I could extend my consulting contract with the EU for another two or three years.
• Door #2: I could let my EU contract lapse while looking for a job in Ireland.
• Door #3: I could accept the offer of a promotion to middle management, earn more money, gain some juice within the organization, and spend a lot of time in Brussels.

Doors #2 and 3 would severely limit my ability to write new reviews, and I want to retain that option. I’m hoping to work something out with my director that involves pushing for changes to the EU’s new immigration policy while still playing the role of an outsider in a consulting role. I’ve always followed Joel Barker’s belief that paradigm shifts are created by outsiders, and I don’t want to get sucked into the bureaucracy. One of the reasons they offered me the management job was because of my work as an outsider. My report on the struggles of  LGBTQ+ people I met with during Pride events in Budapest was part of the evidence submitted to the European Court of Justice that found Orban’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws guilty of violating EU laws. When I meet with my director, I’m going to use that example to justify my case. The bottom line is I can’t promise I will write new reviews after the twenty-one already in progress (except for one Hip review) until I have stable employment.

If none of those options come to fruition, one of my readers reminded me that even without a job in the field, I can still make a difference in the fight to secure human rights: “IMO informing about the achievements of culture, art, music IS fighting for human rights!” Thank you, Karsten!

Those words also inspired me to rethink my American Boycott, but I still need proof that Americans are serious about banishing Voldemort to Nowheresville. By “serious,” I mean having the common sense to elect enough Democrats to take control of both the House and the Senate in the midterms. Taking the House is the more likely possibility, but failure to take the Senate would still allow the evil one to fill the judiciary with mediocrities who will do his bidding and add more incompetent toadies to his fucked-up administration. History shows that the opposition party usually does well in the midterms, and if the Democrats can’t pull off the double win with Voldemort’s pathetic approval ratings on their side, the USA will continue its descent into madness—and the boycott will remain in place.

Here are the reviews I have planned (though I’m a bit iffy on a couple of them). The next review will appear on May 10, as I need some time to regroup and research.

1. Echobelly, On
2. Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust
3. Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express
4. Getz-Gilberto (not a violation of the boycott because the Brazilians outnumber the Americans)
5. David Bowie, Diamond Dogs
6. Kirsty MacColl, Tropical Brainstorm
7. June Tabor, Rosa Mundi
8. Traveling Wilburys, Vol 1 (technically a violation, but only a misdemeanor; my father will pay the fine)
9. Post-War Music (1945-1955) (definitely a violation of the boycott, but fuck it)
10. Split Enz, Second Thoughts
11. Tangerine Dream, Phaedra
12. Big Bill Broonzy, Trouble in Mind
13. Prefab Sprout, Steve McQueen
14. Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus
15. Neil Young, On the Beach
16. Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
17. Michael Kiwanuka, Love and Hate
18. Nick Drake: The Rest of the Story
19. Charles Mingus: Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
20. The Go-Betweens: 16 Lovers Lane (Valentine’s Day Special!)
21. The Rolling Stones: Goats Head Soup

If some room opens up in my schedule, I will slip in Hoodoo Gurus Mars Needs Guitars, The Chills Submarine Bells, and my long-awaited venture into classical music with Schubert’s Symphony No. 9. 

Thank you again for your honest and helpful feedback and for restoring my confidence. Rolling Stone and Pitchfork may have millions more followers, but I have the best followers in the world!